You and I
by springofthedandelions
Summary: 'Peeta and I grow back together.'
1. Real or Not Real?

_Authors note: My first Everlark fic and I am so scared to post this. This ship is so full of emotion and is so hard to write, this part in their relationship especially. It's not very long nor is it very well written but it's kind of how I saw it happening and I wanted to get it down. I hope you like it if you end up reading it. To those waiting for me to update The Flame, it will be up soon I hope. I'm waiting for inspiration to strike. My disclaimer is on my profile page. Thank you for reading and please review if you liked it :)_

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_**You and I**_

It always started and ended the same way. They would go to bed on opposite sides as if getting too close could be dangerous and in a way, it could for her. Lying there in the darkness, both pretending that they weren't listening to the other's steady breathing until eventually, sleep overtook the pair of them. They often fell asleep at the same time to the rhythmic sound of their breathing but they were never asleep for long.

It was usually her that woke first, her sister's name on her lips, the young girl's face staring out of the darkness and the scream of that name echoed through the empty house. He would wake and be there almost instantly, his arms encircling her and holding her close. There were never any words between them, nothing spoken about their past and the things they had both seen that bound them together tightly. She liked it better that way; his comforting arms and light kisses on her head were enough. His strength had a calming effect on her and although it took time for the images of Prim lying lifeless in front of her to fade, her screams didn't last as long when he was there to hold her.

And he was there every night now. The first night they were working on the book together and time ran away from them, escaping into the night and it wasn't long before her eyes started drooping and he took her up to bed. It was the way he placed her under the covers with such tenderness that made her grab his hand. There was a brief moment as he looked down at her, almost completely covered by the thick blanket but her eyes were just visible and in that second, a flicker of understanding passed between them. Tonight, she needed him, but just that night.

But it happened again a week later, then again a few days after that. They were slowly growing more comfortable with each other and after a month, he didn't even need to question it. Perhaps he knew better than to question it. If he did, she may change her mind and although it was confusing for him after all that had happened between them, he knew there was something slowly building between them and he didn't want to ruin it.

It was a given that he would stay every night now. There was no question, no hesitation. They went to bed together with few words spoken between them and the space between them in the bed was filled with fear of what would happen if they got too close.

The night that it happened was no different. She woke screaming Prim's name, pain heavy in her chest and tears already streaming down her face and he was there once more, pulling her close until her sobs had begun to subside. There were faint kisses on her head as she fought to regain control and forget, if only for the moment, what had become of her life.

"Katniss." His voice was barely a whisper but still it startled her and she jumped slightly at the sudden noise. Turning slightly in his arms, she faced him carefully. "Why do you let me stay here each night?"

The question confused her slightly and she sat up straighter, peering at his face through the darkness and trying to make out the conflicting emotions that seemed to be running across it. "Why would you ask something like that?" She tried to keep her voice steady but the question had rattled her somewhat; their routine seemed to work for the both of them so why would he ask something that could disrupt it?

Peeta sighed heavily before continuing. "It's just . . . I can remember before the Quarter Quell how we used to spend each night together and I get these feelings of happiness when I think about it. But sometimes they mess with more . . . recent memories. I know I used to love you and I know that those feelings are coming back." He paused then, leaving her to feel suddenly overwhelmed with the intensity of what he spoke about. She felt angry for a moment that he would spring this on her in the early hours of the morning after she had woken from a nightmare but he interrupted her thoughts. "You never used to love me, Katniss, did you?"

The question was confronting and demanding of an answer and it was the kind of question she hated. Not because she wasn't sure of the answer, but because he put her in a position where she had to answer. She preferred things to be on her own terms and to talk about things like this was not something she enjoyed. But this was Peeta. Peeta, who woke each time she screamed and held her until it was over. Peeta, who was now the only constant in her life to keep her steady in times of pain. She at least owed him this simple answer.

But still she could not give it. Not yet. So instead of answering with something else, or ignoring him entirely, she did something completely different. Shocking even herself, she leaned forward and pressed her lips softly on his.

His reaction was slow but within a few moments he responded, his hands moving around her to hold her tight and as one of them ran ever so softly over her hair, she was jolted back to the roof of the their apartment in the Capitol, the day spent together and Peeta braiding her hair. Those words Gale spoke were true. She couldn't survive without Peeta. His presence in her bed these last few weeks had proved that and now, with their lips pressed together and their arms holding each other close, she knew with such certainty that Peeta was the one she needed. But he was also the one she wanted. It was the first kissed shared between them for a long time and it sent a rush of emotion through her that she wasn't expecting.

She broke the kiss, though something inside her told her not to, and for a moment there as only the sound of their breathing. Peeta's hand still tangled in her hair, he looked into her eyes and there was the trace of a smile on his lips.

"Go to sleep." She whispered and simultaneously they lay down. This time however, there was no gap between them. Though she was sure he would appreciate the words she wanted to tell him, she couldn't do it. Not quite yet. Instead she lay facing him, her eyes closed but she could feel his slight hesitation before his hand found hers and held it tightly.

The next morning she felt it in the air. Things felt different but not in a bad way. She felt at ease with him next to her in the kitchen whereas before she was constantly aware of his presence, of how close he was to her. The day passed and before long night fell again and when she stood up to head up to bed, Peeta stood too, the question already in his eyes.

Without a word, she held her hand out and he crossed the room, taking it in his own. Together they climbed the stairs and once in bed, they lay so close she could feel his heart beating softly. This time she didn't wait. The kiss was different tonight; there was something else in it, an intense longing that seemed to fill the air between them. It was clear they both felt it; Peeta's kiss was firmer, stronger and it excited Katniss in a way that both scared her but also spurred her on.

When his shaking hands begun to move down her back and under her shirt, she froze slightly. Never before had he gone this far but she couldn't ignore the fact that she liked it. His warm hands sent a tingling sensation across her bare skin and she stopped kissing him only to give him a look of encouragement before crashing her lips onto his again. Both of his hands were on her skin now and the goosebumps that rose made her shiver slightly though heat seemed to be emanating from her. It was as if all of a sudden she couldn't get enough of him and her fingers scrambled to pull his shirt over his head, their lips breaking. With only a moments hesitation, she removed her own shirt and caught just a hint of surprise on Peeta's face before his eyes moved down to her chest and something else replaced it.

It was as if he had done it before, though she was sure he hadn't, as his lips trailed kisses down her neck and on to her chest, sending unknown feelings she had never felt before throughout her body. The heat in the room seemed to be rising and the blanket moved off of them slightly as Peeta's fingers moved across her stomach. He lightly made patterns with them, causing more goosebumps to form and she watched him carefully, anxious as to what would happen next but knowing she was excited for whatever it would be.

As if scared, he inched back up her body, his hands now resting on either sides of her face and the emotion in his eyes overwhelmed Katniss. He kissed her lightly on her lips, the sudden break in their fast pace making the heavy breathing suddenly seem louder and for a moment, she felt herself blush. To get this close to him, to do these things would be the final word in a way. She couldn't take this from him and leave it at that. He seemed to know it to – that to go this far would mean there was no going back. It was the final step in rebuilding their relationship even stronger than it had been back in the arena and after the games. But with every movement of his shaking hands on her body, every hesitant kiss on her lips, she knew with an increasing urgency that this was what she wanted.

The final pieces of clothing were removed, though not with the same urgency that she had removed his shirt. They had slowed things down and Peeta seemed to be taking in every detail of her. His hands were shaking as they traced over her stomach, her chest, her legs. The emotion was obvious on his face and though she used to hate the way he so bluntly declared his feelings, the fact that she could read his face so clearly now only intensified what she was feeling.

He seemed to be waiting for permission in a way as he brought his face close to hers and kissed her once more. "Katniss. Are you sure?" His voice was full of worry and pain, and it was the sound of it that brought slight tears to her eyes.

"Please, kiss me." She whispered back, using her hands to pull his face towards hers and the kiss they shared as he entered her seemed to electrify every single thing she was feeling and it was almost overwhelming how strongly she felt towards him in that single moment. She cried out slightly at the physical pain of it though it mixed with other feelings and when he pulled back to look at her, concern on his face, she kissed him softly and pulled him towards her once more. His lips moved from her face to her neck as he moved on top of her, burying his face in her skin and the warmth that radiated from the spot his lips touched spread until it reached the very tip of her being, filling her with love that no longer scared her, only made her want more.

She became aware that he was crying and her own tears fell softly again. It was as if all that they had been through together had been leading up to this moment. From the boy who tossed the bread and saved her life, to the pain of seeing him so removed from himself after his torture in the capitol, till finally rebuilding what they used to have, growing back together. It all culminated in this moment and when it was over, they were both still for a moment, lying as close as two people could possibly get, the intensity of the moment not lost on either of them.

The boy with the bread. That was what he used to be. With those eyes that used to watch her, follow her movements. Peeta had meant so many things to her over the years, so many different things that had confused her and messed with her emotions. There was no life without Peeta, no life worth living. After losing so much of herself and her life before the games, there was little left to keep Katniss going. But Peeta had become that within the last few weeks. He had crept back into her life, his words, his calm manner weaving its way into her heart and ensuring that hope was never lost, no matter how bleak her days got. He was the light, when all she could seem to see was dark. He was the dandelion in the spring and though it took her what felt like forever to realise it, she felt as if she had known all along that it was Peeta she wanted.

He moved next to her, turning his head to watch her. His eyes were full of something she couldn't put her finger on. She knew before he spoke what he would ask and she had known for a long time what her answer would be.

_"You love me. Real or not real?"_

_"Real."_


	2. Blue Eyes

_Authors note: People actually read my Everlark fic! I'm so pleased. Granted, not many of them reviewed but that doesn't matter. If people read it, then it's worth writing it. So, I wasn't sure whether to add this to You and I or whether to keep it separate and decided to add it on. It's not so much a story as such, but more a series of moments after the war etc. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. Please, pretty please, review if you liked it? If you review and have tumblr, tell me your url (through here or tumblr) and I'll promo you. Lol. Yes. I went there. Thank you :)_

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It was her blue eyes that changed it all.

Katniss wasn't sure what to expect with Peeta and herself looking so different. She was sure the baby would look like Peeta because with each kick, each movement, she felt his strength. Throughout the pregnancy, from the very first moment, she had felt it inside her. Strong, determined to be out of its temporary home and it was that that scared her but also reminded her of Peeta and his determination to get back what he used to have.

And they did, though it took some time. But once they were back there, it felt right and Katniss was no longer afraid of Peeta's words. They helped each other through the nightmares and now, 16 years after the war, the nightmares had begun to subside. They would never leave, and both Katniss and Peeta knew this, but they were easier to deal with now.

But the pregnancy seemed to bring them back for Katniss. While Peeta's nightmares had all but disappeared and it was only brief moments where he would be paralyzed with fear and Katniss would have to soothe him, recite to him where he was and reassure him that she loved him, most of the time he was there with a smile, reminding Katniss again and again why she did love him. It was harder for her though.

The games still haunted her memory, the thoughts of her own children being forced into a sick tournament to compete to the death, losing yet another person who she loved. It took plenty of convincing, not just from Peeta, to turn her around to the idea of having a child. Haymitch played his part too though his words were slightly more forceful than Peeta's, they still had an effect.

The physical transformation of her body shocked her slightly, as if it was all a dream until that moment when she could see herself changing, making way for the small child that was growing inside her. On the mornings when Peeta would be busy baking, the smell of fresh bread wafting through the house, she would stand in front of the mirror naked, analyzing every inch of her protruding stomach. Sometimes she would cry, sometimes she would just stare at the bump, wondering what would come of it.

When she was almost full term, the panic attacks started. They would seize her unexpectedly at any moment, whether in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning and she could become overwhelmed with fear, tears falling down her face and unable to escape the anxiety. Visions of her children being forced into the games, of Peeta being forced back into the games and having to watch it all swum in front of her eyes and she would cry out for Peeta, for Prim, for all that she had lost. It was as if there had not been any time between the war and now, and the panic attacks brought back everything as if it was just yesterday.

But Peeta was always there. He would hold her until it had passed, whispering her list. Every act of kindness, every good thing she had seen someone do, until the feelings of unbearable fear were gone. They only ever lasted a few minutes but Katniss would feel drained for the rest of the day, unable to relax for fear that another attack would grip her again.

When she had little but a few weeks to go the real panic began to set in. The reality of what was going to happen to her, of what she was bringing into the world and how it would change both her and Peeta forever seemed to finally hit her and she woke one morning to find herself trapped in an immense fear that had her paralyzed as she lay in bed, tears forming in her eyes in a second. She couldn't move, couldn't find the energy to even make a sound and wake Peeta, but lay there with silent sobs wracking her body.

She cried for so much, for so many people. The faces of those she had lost swum before her eyes but the most prominent was Prim and it was when she closed her eyes and saw Prim's smiling face that she cried out, certain that the birth of this child was a bad idea though she couldn't make the connection to Prim. Peeta woke instantly at the sound of her and moved close, cradling her carefully so as not to hurt her severely swollen stomach.

"Katniss, it's okay." He soothed, his voice falling over her but had no affect and she continued to cry, whispering Prim's name to herself. Peeta pulled her even closer, his kisses on the top of her head calming her only slightly. "Was it a nightmare?"

Katniss could only shake her head; the pain was too raw and too real at that moment for her to talk and Peeta accepted this, holding her tight. It felt worse than what her nightmares usually consisted of. She would come out of nightmares quicker than this, convince herself that it was a dream and nothing else but Prim's face had been right there, as if she was in the room with Katniss and that's what had affected her. But again, it confused her as to what Prim had to do with the child inside of her.

"It was Prim." Even speaking her name caused fresh tears to form in her eyes but she took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She sat up slightly, Peeta moving with her, his arms never leaving her. The look of concern on his face sent a rush of emotion through her but she ignored it and focused on her sister, her beautiful sister. "I saw Prim and it was so real Peeta. It was so real."

"Maybe it was in a way, Katniss." He said quietly and she looked at him, confusion on her face and he shrugged slightly. "I don't know. My father used to tell me stories of things that went on years ago, before the Dark Days." He paused, wrinkling his forehead and Katniss knew he was struggling to remember the memory, forcing more recent, darker memories aside to retrieve this one concerning his father.

"Your father worked in the bakery with you, remember?" Katniss prompted, temporarily forgetting her pain as she helped Peeta work through his thoughts.

"I remember. He told me all sorts of things but one always stuck with me. He said there were certain people back in those days who were said to be able to see people. People that have passed, I mean. At the time I didn't believe him – I was only a kid, I thought he was just trying to scare me. But in our first games before you found me at that river, I thought about it a lot." He paused again and Katniss realised she was hanging on his every word, desperate for the next as if he would somehow say something that would enable Katniss to bring Prim back, ridiculous as it sounded. "The thing is Katniss, you loved Prim more than anything. And she loved you the same. She would never really leave you."

"But Peeta, she's – "

"I know. I know that, Katniss." His voice was patient, calm. More tears stung her eyes now and he took her hands in his, speaking clearly. "But you loved her so much, she is never going to leave you. She's in here." He put their joint hands on her chest above her heart and Katniss let out a sob. "Prim is always with you, Katniss. Always."

That word, their word, did it. But then Peeta's words always had a way of working inside of her and tattooing themselves across her heart, calming her with such ease that Katniss knew without him she would be lost. Their hug was tight, a thousand words passing between them in that moment. Katniss whispered a thank you into his hair, breathing in his scent and in that second, she felt a kick.

Peeta pulled back, his eyes alight and a smile flickering across his face as he glanced down at her stomach. "Was that – "

Katniss nodded, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand and grabbing Peeta's, placing it on the spot the baby had just kicked. They waited for another moment, Peeta holding his breath before it kicked again and he smiled bigger this time. Katniss watched him, a broad smiling gracing his face and the love in his eyes reminded her of why she agreed to do this.

The day she arrived was the first day of spring and although Katniss didn't make the connection until after, it was incredibly fitting. Peeta had spent the morning baking and it was late afternoon when they were sitting together quietly going through the book when she felt the first pain. The contractions had come on quickly and out of nowhere and Katniss had barely been able to direct Peeta. They had arranged a plan a week beforehand and now Peeta kissed her swiftly on the nose, rushing out the door to meet the nurse who he had just finished talking to on the phone. Katniss knew enough that the baby wouldn't be arriving straight away and despite his protests, she had sent him out to meet the nurse so she could have her moment.

Peeta had helped her into the bedroom before he had left and it was now that she sat on the edge of the bed, her hands around her stomach and sweat beginning to cover her body as the pain slowly grew and grew. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and almost immediately Prim's face was there. Katniss studied it, taking in the long blonde hair that was so unlike her own, her kind face so full of hope and then her eyes, her piercing blue eyes that seemed to radiate kindness. It was all she needed.

Peeta crashed through the door with the nurse but Katniss was already half way there. Maybe the baby could sense how difficult the whole thing was for Katniss or maybe it was just luck that gave her an easy birth but within ten minutes of Peeta's arrival, the baby was crowning and after a final push, it was over.

Silence. That was the first thing she noticed and dread seemed to fill Katniss until she could see nothing but the nurse, holding the baby carefully and examining it. For a heartbeat, Katniss was sure something was wrong but then the sound of her cries filled the room and Katniss let out the breath she wasn't aware she had been holding.

"It's a girl." The nurse said quietly, a small smile on her face. She wrapped her in a blanket, wiping her face and eyes before moving around the side of the bed to pass her to Peeta when she stopped crying. Katniss became scared once more at the idea of holding such a tiny, fragile thing and watched carefully first as Peeta held her, the love and adoration on his face clear as tears rolled down his cheeks. She glanced down at herself, red faced, sweating and breathing heavily at the exertion of it all and had half convinced herself that she was dreaming.

"Katniss, do you want to hold her?" Peeta asked and she nodded softly, aware that the nurse had left the room. He moved closer, leaning down and carefully passed her over. As he did so she caught sight of a head of dark hair but then the blanket she was wrapped in fell forward and covered her face slightly and with a shaking hand, Katniss moved it aside to see her daughter's face for the first time.

It was her blue eyes. Prim's blue eyes. The colour of them, the shape, everything was the same and Katniss gasped softly at the sight of it. The child lay in her arms, her cries having died out when Peeta had held her and she stared at Katniss. Peeta must have noticed her eyes too but Katniss ignored him, drinking in the face of her daughter and the eyes that would forever remind her of Prim. The dreams suddenly made sense with such clarity that Katniss was unsure as to why she didn't understand before.

The feeling of wanting to protect this small bundle in her arms was as strong as it had been when Prim's name had been pulled from the reaping ball, when Katniss had stepped forward and altered the course of their lives forever. The connection between this child and Prim was because Katniss now felt the same intense love and protection towards her daughter that she had towards Prim and the fear of not being able to do so was prickling at her, as if tempting her to think about it. But the sight of those blue eyes, of Prim's face, of the realization that it was the first day of spring fit together too nicely for Katniss to get lost in worries and fear. This tiny girl had changed her throughout her pregnancy, and now she had changed her again.

"What do you think about naming her Prim?" It was the question she had been about to ask but Peeta beat her to it and she looked up at him then, finally tearing her eyes away from the child in her arms. He was watching them carefully, one arm on her shoulder as he leaned forward and kissed Katniss softly on the head. "She has her eyes, doesn't she?"

"She does." Katniss agreed, turning back to their child and smiling softly to herself. "Prim." Katniss whispered to herself and Prim moved in her arms, curling towards her, her eyes slowly drifting shut. All worries and fear had escaped leaving Katniss only with a love so strong it surprised her slightly. Peeta had been right. But then how often was he not? Prim would always be with her, in one way or another. _Always._


	3. Change

_A/N: Another Everlark fic. Look at me go. I feel terrible for abandoning my Harry Potter fics but I'm stuck with Everlark on my mind at the moment. I hope you enjoy this! It's in Peeta's point of view and a bit shorter than the previous two but there you go. I'm sort of working on a new one but who knows how that will turn out. Thank you for all the reviews so far!_

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The bed was cold. That was the first thing he noticed when he woke. After years of sleeping in the same bed and sharing their warmth, the chill that met his hands when he reached out shocked him for a moment. His eyes flew open and took a second to adjust to the low light of the early morning before he realised she wasn't in the room. He panicked for a second trying to remember how many weeks she had left but he was sure the baby wouldn't be arriving yet and even if it was, Katniss wouldn't leave the room to give birth on her own. But still, debating whether or not to get up and search for her only took a moment before he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. The cold floor made him shiver and he wished then that he slept in something more substantial than a thin pair of pyjama bottoms. The floorboards creaked slightly as he crept across their bedroom and peered into the small bathroom to find it empty. The bedroom door was slightly ajar and he moved towards it, sticking his head outside.

"Katniss?" He whispered into the darkness and when there was no reply, Peeta thought for a second. Her nightmares had been recurring less and less lately, a big difference compared to her first pregnancy. She still had them, along with the odd panic attack, though nowhere near as aggressive as they had been two years ago. A chill ran through him and he moved again, creeping down the hallway towards their daughter's bedroom.

At almost two years old, she was sleeping through the night though she wasn't much of a late sleeper. Peeta enjoyed it though; she would often sit on the bench next to him while he baked in the mornings and mix her fingers in with the dough, giggling about how sticky it felt. Her giggle made him smile every single time, which wasn't always ideal when he was trying to be stern with her, but he couldn't help it. The two year old had taken traits from them both that were beginning to show in her growing personality but it was her kindness that touched them both. Only the day before they had witnessed her freeing a butterfly from a spider's web, whispering things to it that only she understood. It was strange how someone so small could have such an effect on both himself and Katniss.

Children had been something Peeta had always wanted despite the once looming threat of the games. Love was not something often felt in his home growing up and it was this that made him long for someone to care for, to love as his own and treat better than he had ever been treated. Even once he had Katniss as his own, sharing her bed every night and waking up to her warmth every morning, it was not enough. Still he wished for a child to bring light back into their dark home. He knew Katniss would take convincing; she had mentioned more than once both in the games and afterwards that she never wanted to bring children up for fear of what could happen to them.

He understood her fear for having once felt it himself but now, years after the last games and with her nightmares not occurring as often as in the first few years, he pushed her. Initially, she met him head on with anger, desperation for him to understand and blind fury when he wouldn't. He kept trying and now that he thought about it, he felt bad. This was not something she had wanted and he had done all he could to get her to agree. Guilt pressed on him now as he realised with a sickening thought that he had never apologized for pushing so hard, for forcing her to do something she didn't want to do.

Peeta rounded the corner in the small hallway and found the bedroom door of their daughter's room open and he crept closer, even quieter now, not wanting to wake the small girl any earlier than she was used to. The room was lit only by the dull light seeping through the curtains and Peeta knew he would have been waking up in an hour or so anyway to start baking. His eyes moved around, roaming over the familiar landscape of Prim's small chest of toys, her doll sitting in the chair next to her bed and it was her bed that caught his eyes now. Prim lay tightly on her side, her thumb in her mouth and a look of peace that only children seemed to have on her face. Her dark hair, matching that of her mother's, fans out around her head on the pillow and a strand of it covers her mother's face who is lying on the bed next to her. Their faces are so close that the breath of each much be tickling the others face though neither seem to notice. Peeta had no idea if Katniss was sleeping too but as he moved to take a step back out of the room, she turned her head slightly and spotted him.

The smile she gave him was heart warming and he watched as she carefully climbed off of the bed, pulling the blankets up around the little girl's shoulders and padding out of the room, her hands on her heavily pregnant stomach. Peeta backed out of the room as Katniss pulled the door closed and turned to face him, her arms snaking around him as they embraced.

"You okay?" He whispered and she kissed his cheek, pulling away and taking his hand.

"Not here, she might wake." She replied back in a quiet tone before pulling him towards the stairs. Together they descended into the entranceway and into the kitchen, shivering slightly in the early morning cold. Katniss set the hot water on to boil and Peeta turned the oven on. The benefit of this was that it would heat the room and be warm ready for when he started baking. He moved and took the mugs out of her hands, gesturing for her to sit down as he made them both a hot drink.

When the steaming drinks had fingers wrapped around them, their warmth escaping through the ceramics and spreading through the couples bodies. It was silent for a moment and Peeta watched as Katniss stared into her mug, an oddly rare smile on her face. He loved moments when he got to watch her; she was beautiful at all times but when she let her guard down, when she thought no one was watching and her emotions were bare on her face – that was when he found her simply stunning.

"Katniss?" He prompted, wondering then what had got her out of bed. The smile suggested that it wasn't a nightmare and Peeta was sure Prim hadn't made a sound.

"I didn't frighten you did I? I heard you call my name before you came into the room. I didn't want to reply or I would have woken her." She explained softly and took a sip of her drink, savouring the taste of it. "I just woke with this overwhelming feeling that I needed to be with her, with Prim."

Peeta didn't say anything; he didn't feel the need to. There were times when he had to listen closely to her words, her tone as it was hard to tell which Prim she was talking about. This time though, as she continued to talk, he realised she was talking about their daughter.

"It was like something was wrong, that I had to be with her but she was fine when I got there. Sleeping soundly as if she hadn't a care in the world – which she doesn't, I'm sure. But lying there with her. . ." She trailed off, her words lost in the steam that came off of her drink. Peeta watched carefully, not wanting to interrupt. "I was happy."

His hand reached out for hers, holding it tightly in his own as she looked away, once again afraid of showing too much emotion. He was used to it now; he no longer pressured her for words to describe her feelings. He knew her well enough after all of these years. Something was prickling at him though, his thoughts from earlier returned and he cleared his throat softly.

"I'm sorry." He said, the emotion clear in his voice and Katniss looked at him, confused. "For making you give me something you never wanted."

"Oh, Peeta." Was all she said and it only spurred him on, his apology tumbling out of his mouth, his words for once not as structured or perfect as they had been all those years ago.

"I am sorry, Katniss. You never wanted this life, you never wanted that small girl up there sleeping or the one due to arrive any day now. I made you do this, pressured you and now you're stuck with something – something you don't want." He finished stupidly, embarrassed at himself. He wrenched his hands away from hers, his head hung low. His torture in the Capitol was always affecting him in new ways. Where he could once charm a crowd, help spark a rebellion, now he was a fumbling mess, upsetting the girl he loved more than anything.

"Peeta, don't you see? I'm happy. That's what I said and that's the truth. I never wanted this but now that I have it I would never give it up." It took a moment before her words registered with him and he looked up, unsure. "I'm not stuck with this life. This life is the only thing that now keeps me sane; you keep me sane."

"But I forced you, pressured you."

Katniss sighed deeply, standing up and moving around to his side of the table where she took his hands once more. "There was a part of me, granted a very small part, that wanted children. I wanted to feel that little hand in mine but fear chased that away. You brought that back in me."

She leaned forward then, her forehead resting on his for a second so that there was no one else in the world except for the pair of them. He moved in, kissing her softly before they both whispered words that made them feel safe. A movement from upstairs made them both look to the doorway and a moment later, a bundle of dark hair and energy came running through.

Peeta watched as Prim ran for her mother's arms, hugging her tightly and giggling as Katniss kissed her nose. The difference in this girl he had loved for what seemed like forever was immeasurable and though there was still that darkness about her, that fire that flickered in her eyes at times, she was not so burdened by fears or nightmares anymore. They were fading, leaving only memories of the hard times that would forever be imprinted in the backs of their minds, but becoming ever distant. The love and energy that now filled their home had pushed those dark things back, forcing them away and leaving only light. Light, and hope.


End file.
